TURMERIC-GINGER-PERSIMMON SMOOTHIE

Social media is a strange thing. It lets us stay connected with persons far from us geographically. This is really great if – like me – you’re not living in your country of origin. It lets us keep up with those friends we’d otherwise not be able to meet regularly for lack of time or opportunities. The likes and the shares are entertaining! The metrics are exciting and jazzy – well, hm, depending how many visitors you get…

No secret about it, I’m not one of the Millennials. My demographic group didn’t grow up with social media, but I personally learned to use it and to like it. Yes, I really do like it! For example, I find Instagram really fun! But boy, is it addictive! And that’s where the other side of social media comes into play: with new platforms popping up frequently, you end up spending a helluva long time in front of the screen! And less in real life with the people really around you. So how do you avoid ending up in this media time-suck whirlpool? How do you choose which networks are just a hype, which are here to stay and which ones are outdated? Honestly, I find this a little intimidating. Between Snapchat, Periscope, We Heart It, Ello, Peach, VK, Vine et cetera, et cetera, do we really need one more social media platform? And isn’t there one out there that helps us spend less time in front of our screens? I’d definitely sign up for that.

Anyways, I’m talking about this because I’ve spent quite a few hours this week setting up some of the social media accounts for Papricannelle. You’ll find the links on the left for my Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest and Google+ accounts – if you are on any of those networks please look for me and hit a like or a follow if you think my recipes are worth sharing! I’d love to hear from you!

While working on this I made myself a quick turmeric smoothie one afternoon. You’ll find not only the superspice turmeric but other hidden superfoods in this drink. Turmeric is a potent anti-inflammatory and adding half a teaspoon to your smoothie will not turn the taste bitter. You’ll find many turmeric smoothie recipes on the web, in my version I substituted some of the banana with half of a persimmon simply because I had some on hand, and as I find persimmon very sweet like bananas, I wanted to give it a try. A few seconds in the blender, et voilà, a super refreshing, healthy shake for your mornings or afternoons!

What you’ll need:

250ml of almond milk

1/2 frozen or fresh banana

½ persimmon peeled and cut into chunks

1/4 frozen mango (about 1/2cup)

1 tbs coconut oil

1/2 tsp turmeric

1 tsp ginger, peeled and grated

1 tsp maca

1 tsp chia seed

a leaping cupful of hashtags

What you’ll need to do:

Place all the ingredients in your high-speed blender and blend until smooth.I’ve read that black pepper helps the absorption of curcumin, the active ingredient in turmeric, so add a pinch of freshly ground black pepper to your smoothie if you wish. Happy blending!